1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to shoulder straps, and more particularly to shoulder straps used to support guitars and other instruments over the shoulder of a user in a sling.
2. Description of Related Art
The way guitars are usually played does not allow for two-handed support of the instrument while standing. The user""s left hand grips the fret board neck, and the right hand is used only to strum the strings with the fingers or a pick. Sometimes the palm of the right hand can be used to press the guitar body tight against the hip of the user, but this position is awkward and tiring. So, unless the user is sitting, the bottom end of the guitar at the user""s right is conventionally supported at a comfortable height with a sling strap so the strings can be strummed easily.
Guitars are a favorite amongst musical groups and bands, and the guitarist is usually out in front with a maximum of public exposure. So it has been customary to decorate both the guitars and their straps with a variety of colorful patterns.
Long periods of use can cause prior art guitar shoulder straps to xe2x80x9ccutxe2x80x9d into the user""s shoulder and become sore. Various ways have been devised to combat this problem. Howard Silagy describes a Shoulder Pad for Decorative Guitar Strap in U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,743, issued Feb. 14, 1995. A standard guitar shoulder strap is threaded through the slots of a wider shoulder pad and helps spread the weight the user""s shoulder. The pad is especially placed on the collar bone area and other bony areas of the shoulder that are easily irritated and made sore by straps with heavy loads. Howard Silagy further describes and diagrams, e.g., FIG. 4, a strap pad in cross-sectional view which has edges that are narrower in thickness than the webbing in between.
Briefly, a guitar shoulder strap embodiment of the present invention incorporates thickened, rolled edges along the length of the strap. The strap webbing between is generally about two millimeters thick and fifty millimeters wide. The thick, rolled edges are almost four millimeters thick and about six millimeters wide. A decorative pattern is weaved into the outside decorative surface. The strap webbing and thick, rolled edges are a single weave of textile wherein many longitudinal fibers have been bunched into cords at the edges and spiraling transverse fibers are woven to build the webbing and encase the cords.
An advantage of the present invention is that a strap is provided that is comfortable to wear.
Another advantage of the present invention is that a strap is provided that is attractive and marketable.
Another advantage of the present invention is the change is incorporated into the strap itself and is not another part that might be separated from the strap.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the design change is incorporated into the full length of the strap and not one section, making it effective to not only the shoulder but any area of the body that might bear the weight of the guitar.
A further advantage of the present invention is that a guitar shoulder strap is provided that can be economically manufactured.